Andromedia Announces ARIA 2.5, the Highest Performance "Logless" Web Site Activity Tracking Software and Architecture Available for the Enterprise.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 1997--

-- ARIA 2.5, the industry's only truly scaleable and automated data

collection, processing and reporting solution, features support

for all major web servers, dynamic web site tracking,

trend analysis, data mining, network-level data collection,

and real-time FTP tracking capabilities --

Andromedia, Inc., is announcing this week at Fall Internet World '97 (December 8-12, 1997 at Jacob K. Javits Center) ARIA (tm) 2.5, the highest performance, "logless" web site activity tracking software on the market.

Since 1996, Andromedia has offered the industry's only truly scaleable and automated data collection, processing, and reporting solution, ARIA. The latest ARIA release adds network-level monitoring, dynamic web site tracking, trend analysis and data mining capabilities, as well as real-time FTP tracking to ARIA's already impressive set of capabilities. In addition, ARIA tracks activity on all major web servers, including Netscape, Microsoft IIS, Apache, and IBM Lotus Domino.

ARIA 2.5 extends one of ARIA 2.0's major distinguishing capabilities: efficiently and automatically managing data generated from large, complex, geographically distributed multi-site web installations. Via the addition of data compression and firewall compatibility, ARIA remains fully automated and hassle-free in the face of increasingly complex internet, intranet, and extranet infrastructures.

"The ARIA product architecture is scaleable and flexible enough to automate the reporting and tracking requirements of extremely high-volume and complex web sites," says Chris Stevens, a senior analyst for electronic commerce at the Aberdeen Group, Inc. "ARIA's inherent multi-site technology produces consolidated reporting for: departmental sites; confederations of trading partners; and even co-branded or aggregated commercial sites."

Stream of Technology

"ARIA 2.5 represents Andromedia's commitment to a stream-of-technology approach to the tracking market, by continually enhancing the software underlying Andromedia's Total Web Management Solutions(tm) (TWMS (tm)), and evolving our products to respond to our customers' expanding needs," says Dr. Paula Hawthorn, who joined Andromedia in September as vice president of product development. Hawthorn, previously a founder of breakthrough database company Illustra, Inc. and a senior executive with Informix, highlighted the major additions of the latest release, saying, "ARIA 2.5 converts raw data into meaningful and usable information while requiring minimal effort on the part of IS personnel. By adding network-level monitoring, dynamic web site tracking, and data mining capabilities, along with real-time FTP tracking, ARIA greatly increases its functionality while remaining the highest performance solution for tracking highly complex, enterprise web sites."

Network-level Data Capture

ARIA 2.5 adds "on the wire" technology in the form of the ARIA Network Monitor(tm) to complement the existing ARIA Server Monitor (tm), the industry's first high-scale, live data source for web activity information. With the addition of the ARIA Network Monitor(tm), customers have the ability to track all network activity in real time, including server performance information, and user activity which is not reflected in server logs, such as transfers interrupted by users who press the browser "stop" button before a web page is completely downloaded. ARIA also tracks FTP downloads, a crucial feature for software companies distributing their products via the Internet. Because the ARIA Network Monitor need not reside on the web server, customers will get all this important information without any impact on server performance.

Trend Analysis and Data Mining Features

ARIA 2.5 also includes a database export utility, ARIA Xporter(tm), which enables customers to export the complete ARIA data-set into a standard format readable by any third-party relational database (RDBMS), data warehouse or OLAP tool. Open access to the ARIA database through a standard interface, such as ODBC, increases the flexibility and availability of data and enables third-party reporting tools to link to ARIA. The exporting of data is particularly useful to marketing and sales professionals interested in trend analysis and data mining applications.

Dynamic Web Site Tracking

As more web sites adopt dynamic content serving applications, traditional log file analysis can become less meaningful. ARIA's flexible architecture enables it to provide meaningful real-time information about dynamic content through integration with products such as Vignette's StoryServer 3 Content Application System and Net Perceptions GroupLens Recommendation Engine. Andromedia has recently announced agreements with both vendors. Integration with ARIA's real-time tracking capabilities also allows these third-party applications to deliver personalized content based on past and current visitor information captured in the ARIA system.

ARIA 2.5 Availability

Andromedia'a ARIA 2.5 will be available in first quarter of 1998. For more information contact Andromedia at 415/278-0700 or access the Andromedia web site at www.andromedia.com.

ARIA Improves Your Web Site IQ

Andromedia's ARIA is the industry's leading real-time web site activity tracking solution. Using ARIA, customers with large and complex web sites can analyze site usage to evaluate and improve their web site effectiveness, expand online reach, build site viewing loyalty, increase web customer responsiveness and, ultimately, generate more return for online investments.

About Andromedia

Founded in 1995, San Francisco-based Andromedia builds software that enables customers to maximize the value of their Internet/Intranet and related media.

Privately held Andromedia's financial partners include JK&B Capital (whose limited partners include Charles Wang and funds advised by Soros Fund Management LLC), SOFTBANK Holdings, Draper International, LP, and Platinum Ventures. Recent new customers include Sun Microsystems, Sybase, 3Com, First Chicago NBD, Young & Rubicam, CKS, Colgate-Palmolive, Zentropy Interactive, The Boston Herald, Netrex, EarthLink Network, Sandia National Laboratory, StorageTek, and Syracuse University, among others.

Press announcements and other information about Andromedia are available on the Web at the URL http://www.andromedia.com. -0-

Note to Editors: Andromedia, ARIA, ARIATWMS, ARIA Xporter, ARIA Network Monitor, ARIA Server Monitor, and ARIA RTP are pending trademark approval. All other brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and hereby acknowledged.

CONTACT: Andromedia Inc.

Charlie Purdom, 415/908-1679

[e-mail]

www.andromedia.com